


Play Ball!

by erindoestoomuch



Category: High School Musical (Movies), High School Musical 2
Genre: High School Musical - Freeform, I’m really late to this fandom, M/M, This is my favorite song so, This movie was good tho, lots of tension, “I don’t dance” from HSM2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-22 10:56:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13165458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erindoestoomuch/pseuds/erindoestoomuch
Summary: “You gonna show me up?” Ryan teased, licking his lips in earnest as he tossed the ball back and forth between his hands.Chad shot him a grin. “You gonna throw that ball, or just keep twirling it?”Or, the tension between Chad and Ryan throughout the game and what they do about it.





	Play Ball!

The sound of jazz music blaring in the background was certainly an addition to the tension at the baseball diamond. Lean muscles rippled as each boy got in position, with signature curls escaping a cap as they made eye-contact.  
Chad smirked. He had to admit, the whole prospect of this game was quite amusing, what with the preppy theatre boy telling him to dance in the upcoming show. Though he knew he could dance, it was moreover the fact that he wouldn’t- not even if he paid him. Who’d rather to be in tights and all that makeup over being in a baseball jersey hitting a home-run?  
Ryan took a long breath. He didn’t plan on this game taking place, if he was being honest. Of course, he knew that Chad was quite... closeted in terms of is dancing, but that didn’t mean he had to pick baseball over it. It he’d only seen the looks he’d gotten from every hip swing, then perhaps he wouldn’t have needed to challenge him to this silly game. But, Ryan Evans was never one to back down from a challenge. If the jock wanted to play ball, then they were gonna play ball.  
“Play ball!” Several boys cheered, each with wide grins full of malice as Ryan looked their way. The blond had to scoff- of course they’d think him looking at them meant he liked them. Definitely not the case, but he wasn’t one to crush someone’s dreams. So, with a rather dramatic swing of his hips, he approached the pitcher’s mound, complete with adjusting his hat as he tossed the baseball into the air. The cheers simply got louder as Chad approached the batter’s box, with a look of determination on his face.  
“You gonna show me up?” Ryan teased, licking his lips in earnest as he tossed the ball back and forth between his hands.  
Chad shot him a grin. “You gonna throw that ball, or just keep twirling it?”  
With a soft chuckle, Ryan relaxed his features, rolled his shoulders, and took a deep breath. Then, with all the skill he could muster, he twisted his body and threw the ball- only to have Chad hit it dead center and for it to go flying. Ryan rose a brow and kept his posture still, but he had to let out a low whistle- this boy wasn’t kidding with his skill with this sport. When he went to look back at Chad to see his expression, he had to laugh at how fast the boy had gotten to first base.  
His brow furrowed, his shoulders sulked, and he heaved his lungs to catch a breath, but he looked overall pretty satisfied. Well, that was, if the smile he had on meant anything. Ryan glanced away with a chuckle- this was going to be a long game.  
“Still don’t think you can dance?” He’d called as he himself stepped up to bat, with his white newsboy hat shielding his eyes from the burning sun above them.  
Chad rolled his eyes and shook out his legs before he answered, “Oh, I know I can’t.”  
“You sure about that? I’ve seen you around school- you’ve got skills.” Ryan commented, throwing a wink his way as he got into batting position.  
Chad simply shook his head, then spit onto the ground next to him. “You’re talking a lot, how’s about you show me what you’ve got?”  
With that, a ball was thrown much faster than expected, though somehow Ryan hit it, and off he went. The crowd went wild as he skidded to second base just in time, and Ryan let out a happy whoop as he dusted himself off. While it wasn’t ideal to have a dirt stain as big as this one, that didn’t mean he cared at the moment.  
“You sure you don’t wanna use those legs for running instead of dancing?” Chad called out, an amused smile on his face as he glanced at Ryan. “Nah, I prefer to dazzle in other ways. You can go ahead and keep dreaming, Danforth.” Although the face Ryan made showed that he didn’t have any annoyance in the slightest, his tone certainly thought otherwise. Chad has to keep a smile up- this was really fun.  
“I still think that dancing is what you’re good at.” “You just wait until I’m up to bat- you’ll see what I can do out here.”  
Bemused, Ryan raised a brow and asked, “You mean, how you swing?”  
Although Chad didn’t fully understand why Ryan looked so pleased with himself, he replied, “Oh, I’ll show you how I swing alright!”  
Once Chad was back at bat, Ryan kept his hips forward and his eyes on the caramel skinned boy, and off the ball went. And it was a strike. Letting out a startled breath, Ryan looked at Chad’s eyes to see his expression, but something felt... off. His eyes were full of confidence and some sort of flaming desire, which only matched the determined expression evident across his features. It took Ryan’s breath away.  
“You gotta throw that ball or stand there all day?” Chad taunted, adjusting his cap as he waited for Ryan to just throw the damn ball already. The blond gave him a confident grin before he nodded, then kept the ball close to his chest before he immediately threw the ball as hard as he could.  
The sound of the ball colliding with the bat echoed throughout the field as the jazz got louder, and Chad let out a breathless laugh before he hurried to base after base. Ryan found himself grinning with him as he watched him run, with the ball being passed from person to person across the field to try to get him out. As he watched Chad run, however, he found his breath catching in his throat, as if he was having trouble breathing just from seeing him in such an athletic state-which was certainly not the case. Why would he find an air-headed jock like Chad attractive?  
As Chad slid into home, he found himself at a loss for words. He looked so... happy. His skin was shining in the light from sweat, his hat was crooked, and his curls were bouncing on his shoulders as he hurried to the sidelines- where he then turned and swiftly winked at Ryan. Ryan, once again, shook his head and scoffed. Two could play at that game.  
“Who’s up to bat next?” Chad asked his team, though it was obvious that no one really wanted to try to bat against Ryan. Or, at least, they were probably more amused by the fact that the theatre kid could throw a ball like it was nothing. Chad simply glanced them over with a chuckle before shrugging, and walking right back up to plate. “It seems I’m going to be batting again.”  
Ryan gave him a dazzling smile as he took off his hat momentarily, running one of his hands through his sweaty blond locks. “You think you can do that all over again?”  
“You don’t have enough faith in me. What, do you think dancing is just like baseball?” Chad snorted, shaking his head as he approached the batter’s box once again. “You’re surely mistaken, Evans.”  
Ryan rolled his shoulders. “What, you think dancing isn’t a difficult sport?” The crowd seemed to burst into laughter at this notion, but Ryan didn’t care. He simply kept his eyes forward- on Chad.  
“It’s not a sport. And, this isn’t dance hall- we’re playing ball. Which, by the way, we should get back to.” He explained, beating his bat against the ground before straightening back up. Ryan looked him up and down, then... he threw the ball.  
Chad hit the ball once more. This time, however, he hit it right out of the park. Ryan watched in awe as the ball flew over his head and way out, past every player and past the ending point of the diamond.  
“You’re crazy good at this!” He exclaimed, eliciting a thumbs up in his direction before he was able to realize that he had no chance of winning the game. Though- Ryan sort of knew that, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be giving Chad a run for his money.  
“I’ve been playing since I was a kid, Evans! What, did you think that I was just playing for the fun of it?” Chad replied, grinning in satisfaction when he saw Ryan flush in frustration.  
“Whatever. No one else is going up to bat, so let’s switch.” Ryan said, tossing his mitt and ball to Chad. Chad shrugged and passed him the bat- but he made sure to do everything quite slow, as to tease Ryan with the aspect of not getting what he was promised. Their eyes met momentarily with a spark, and Chad went to say something, but Ryan walked past him and to the box before anything could happen.  
“Come on, Danforth. Show me why you’ve been pitcher for years.” He taunted, once again flashing those pearly whites before he was back in position. “Or are you too scared you’ll mess up?”  
Chad smirked. “All bark, but no bite.” With that, he was tossing the ball from person to person before he met Ryan’s gaze. “Show me all that pent up aggression through that bat.”  
“You think I have pent up aggression?” He grinned, raising a brow as Chad adjusted his cap. “Then let’s see how I’m gonna deal with it.”  
The ball flew through the air and past home plate.  
Ryan kept his head up, and his smile plastered. “Come on, I’m ready to dance.” The ball was tossed back, and Chad seemed to pause for a moment before he threw it- much faster than he’d done previously.  
Ryan tried to keep his eye on the ball, but he was too distracted. Chad looked too attractive when he had such focus on something- not that he was looking, of course. He shook his head. Two strikes. One more, and he was out. Game over. He wasn’t ready for this game to end. He glanced at the score card. The game was tied. If he hit this ball, then the game continued. If he missed, then the game was over. Or, if the ball was caught, it was over.  
Ryan took a deep breath, and raised his head to look back at Chad. With a nod, he watched the ball fly through the air- and he hit it. He didn’t hit it far, mind you, but he still hit it. Ryan raced to first base with a laugh, tossing the bat aside and skidding through the dirt. Chad got the ball and sped to the base, skidding with him. They both made it at the same time- and the sound of “SAFE” running through the air caused Chad to sigh.  
“One more inning.”  
“Only one?” Ryan asked, batting his eyelashes as he dusted off the dirt on his slacks.  
Chad snorted. “I say one because I’m getting tired, Evans. Whoever wins this inning wins the game.”  
Their eyes met. “Oh, you’re so on.”  
The last inning went by like a blur. Bat after bat, swing after swing, and ball after ball. Chad ended up winning by one home-run, and Ryan didn’t even bother looking at him as he walked towards the locker room.  
Chad’s voice cut through the cheering of the crowd. “Hey, Evans. I’m not saying I’ll dance in the show... but if I did, what would you have me do.”  
Ryan smirked, and kept on walking.  
The rest of Chad’s team came and went to the locker room as Ryan simply took off his hat and leaned against the lockers. He of course heard the slurs made towards him, but he didn’t care. He never did. He waited until the final kid on Chad’s team left before he started to undress, but he practically stopped in his tracks when he saw Chad walk in.  
“You know your way around baseball. I’m impressed.” Chad remarked, taking off his baseball cap and setting it on the sink in front of him. “Where’d you learn how to play like that?”  
“It’s just like dancing. You watch the moves.” Ryan replied, pulling his polo over his head.  
Chad made a noise of understanding, then glanced at him. “You really want me to dance in the show?”  
Ryan smiled at him. “Yeah. I think you’d do okay.”  
Chad scoffed. “Just okay? Come on, you saw how well I was doing out there.”  
“I thought you said you didn’t dance?” That made Chad pause, but only for a moment.  
“Yeah, I don’t. Not normally, at least.”  
“Then why’re you starting now?” Ryan asked.  
“Well.. if I knew that, I’d tell you.” Chad said, pulling his jersey over his head and starting to unbutton his slacks. Ryan hummed in response, and nodded. “That works, I guess. I’m gonna go shower.”  
“Good idea. I’m practically all sweat!” Chad laughed.  
Ryan hid his smile behind his hand, then shook his head as he brushed shoulders with him on the way to the showers.  
Turning the water to an appropriately warm setting, Ryan allowed himself to let out a sigh as the hot water pelted his aching muscles. Or, lack there of. After all, he was quite lanky. He was certainly more fit for theatre.  
After a few minutes, he heard footsteps near the showers, and he smiled at bit when he heard familiar humming. Chad was getting in the shower now, it seemed. Not that Ryan minded. Within five minutes, he was out of the shower, and so was Chad.  
Although Ryan wasn’t trying to look at Chad, he found it hard not to as he wrapped a towel around his waist. He hadn’t gotten a chance to look earlier, but Chad certainly had the right body for sports. Sharp muscles, built arms, abs. Everything about him screamed “jock,” from the sloppy hairstyle to the necklace he never took off. He only looked away when Chad caught him staring, which resulted in some pretty awkward tension between them.  
“You never did tell me what you wanted me to do in the show.” Chad brought up, toweling his hair and glancing at Ryan out of the corner of his eye. “Jazz? Hip-hop?”  
“Uh... preferably jazz. Or. Well. I’m not sure.” Ryan admitted, picking up his boxers and going to put them on. “I’m not the one who decides that. Sharpay does.”  
“Well, I’m not asking Sharpay what she thinks. I’m asking you.” He emphasized with a finger point.  
“And you’re asking me why? Since when you do care about my opinion?” Ryan asked, raising a brow at him.  
Chad shrugged as he pulled his boxers on. “I’ve never not cared. But come on, what do you think personally. You’ve gotta know some dance style that fits me.”  
It took him a moment, but Ryan cheekily responded, “Swing.”  
Chad burst into laughter. “You’re just saying that because of what I said earlier.”  
“Oh? And what exactly did you say earlier?” Ryan replied.  
“I told you I would show you how I swung. So now you think Swing’s for me, huh? Isn’t that a two person dance?” Chad hummed, raising a brow.  
Ryan shrugged. “Yeah. Sorta.”  
“And who would I dance with?”  
“Taylor, maybe?” Ryan suggested.  
Chad scoffed. “She doesn’t dance. She also isn’t really into me, if you hadn’t noticed.”  
Ryan blinked. Someone wasn’t into Chad Danforth? How did someone like that exist?  
“Really?” He forced out.  
Chad nodded. “She said for me to pick her or basketball. So I did.”  
“Oh.” Ryan said, clearing his throat. “Well, then I’m not sure who’d dance with you, so there goes that idea.” The sound of Chad’s humming was getting louder.  
“I could always dance with you.” He suggested.  
Ryan choked on air. “Excuse me, what?!” He cried, sputtering at the amused expression on Chad’s face.  
“If you’re so sure about me doing Swing, who better than to dance with, right? I mean, it’s not like it’s a bad thing.”  
“Danforth, you’d be the laughing stock of the show if you danced with me.” Ryan insisted, crossing his arms with an audible huff. Chad gave him a look that read, ‘are you serious?’ before he shook his head.  
“Evans, dancing with you is not a big deal. How would I be laughed at.”  
“Well, for instance, you’d be dancing with the theatre kid. The kid who always wears pink, glitter, sparkles, and everything that guys shouldn’t wear, according to the status quo.” Ryan started, pulling his polo on. He could hear the sound of gears turning in Chad’s head.  
“And your point is? It’s a dance.” Chad said.  
“A dance you didn’t even want to do.” Ryan replied.  
Chad snickered. “You seem pretty uptight about all this. Does the idea of dancing with me bother you that much?”  
Ryan’s brows furrowed. “Literally ten minutes ago you were telling me you didn’t dance. Now you’re saying that because I’m hesitant, then I must be bothered by the aspect of dancing with you. No, I’m not.”  
Chad stood to his full height. “Is this because of the fact that you’re gay?”  
Ryan stiffened. “That’s none of your concern. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” He’d tried dressing as quick as possible, but Chad wasn’t having it. He stood in front of him, and crossed his arms.  
“You can’t avoid me forever. How come being gay is going to somehow impact how you dance with me in the show?”  
Ryan avoided Chad’s gaze. “Again, it’s none of your business. Why don’t you get dressed so you can get back to your friends.”  
“Ryan, you’re literally my friend, what do you mean.”  
“Nothing. I’m...I’m going to go find Sharpay, if you’ll excuse me-“ Ryan started to say, only for Chad to take him by the wrist and slam him into the locker.  
“Stop hiding from me. Look at me.”  
Ryan pressed his lips into a thin line as he looked up at the boy above him. They didn’t have much of a height difference- it was probably two inches at most-but that didn’t mean that Chad didn’t use this to his advantage. He was trying to intimidate him, and it wasn’t working.  
“Tell me why you don’t want to dance with me.”  
“And if I don’t?” Ryan challenged, narrowing his eyes in an attempt to seem more serious.  
Chad rolled his eyes, and applied more pressure to Ryan’s wrist. “Then I guess I’m out of the show.”  
Although a quick comeback was certainly in Ryan’s throat, he forced himself to swallow his pride as he looked away from Chad, then back at him again. His eye-lids fluttered. He could smell the bubblegum in his breath from the game, especially from the distance between them being only a few inches. The fact that he was so close worried him, what with his heart practically beating out of his chest- but he couldn’t look away from those lips.  
Chad followed Ryan’s gaze, and something almost immediately clicked. “Are you... Ryan, are you into me?”  
Almost as soon as those words left his mouth, Ryan was nodding, almost frantically, and he visibly swallowed. Chad was at a loss for words. When Taylor had confessed to liking him, she was smiling and full of confidence. However, when Ryan confessed to liking him, he looked like he was nervous. His eyes were wide, and he looked like he had a million thoughts running through his head.  
Chad took a long breath. “So you don’t want to dance with me because you’re into me? That doesn’t make too much sense.”  
Ryan swallowed again, then started talking. “You make me nervous. You’re so confident in every little thing you do- especially sports. If I were to dance with you, I’d feel like I was going to mess up, and I don’t want to mess up because I know I can do just fine, but-“  
Although he was certainly babbling, Chad cut him off as swiftly as he could- with a kiss. The kiss wasn’t long in the slightest, especially because of Ryan pulling away almost as soon as it happened.  
“You.. you just kissed me.” Ryan whispered. Chad nodded a bit, and sheepishly grinned. “You just kissed me, and now you’re grinning. Oh no, what does that mean.”  
“It means.. I really don’t know what it means, honestly.”  
“Chad, you aren’t gay, why did you kiss me?” He questioned, sounding more troubled than anything else.  
“I don’t know. Honest.”  
“Then make up a reason. There’s a reason for everything.”  
“You want a reason? Fine. I’ll give you a reason; you just confessed to liking me. You’re absolutely a total dork- yes, I can see the daggers from here- and that’s cool. It’s rad. I dunno, I’m at a loss.” Chad admitted, anxiously laughing as Ryan raised a singular brow at him.  
“So what you’re saying is, you kissed me because I admitted to liking you.”  
“No-yes-I mean-I dunno.”  
“That is absolutely the most nerdy thing you’ve ever done.” Ryan remarked, smiling in amusement as Chad flushed in embarrassment.  
“Yeah, well. I guess you bring out that nerdy stuff.”  
“Oh my god, please never say that again. You’re too much of a jock, it makes it sound like you’re going to shove my head down a toilet.” Ryan snorted, shaking his head as Chad gave him a serious look.  
“I wouldn’t do that to you.”  
“I never said you would. I’m just saying it sounded like you would.” Ryan explained, trying to contain his laughter. “I’m not that kind of guy.”  
Chad hummed. “You’re right, you’re not. You’re also not the guy who kisses other guys, but here you are.”  
“Who said I kissed guys? I kissed you. You’re one guy.” Chad grinned. “Speaking of, can I do that again?”  
“You’re asking me if you can kiss me again. Let me tell you something-“ he cleared his throat, and his grin widened, “Never ask me if you can kiss me again- just do it.”  
With that, Chad gave him a sheepish smile, tilted his head, and kissed him. In response, Ryan grinned into the kiss and lifted his hands up to tangle into those damp curls. He’d never kissed someone like this before. It was awkward, and they kept laughing when their noses bumped together, but it felt right. Actually, it felt more than right.  
Ryan was the one to break away from the kiss with a smile. “You act differently around me than you do when we’re around other people. Why is that?”  
Chad seemed to think for a moment. “Well...It’s probably because of how I’m viewed to other people. You know. A jock. A jock who’s good at baseball, basketball, and a lot of other sports. I’m popular. If I were to, say, act like this around everyone, then there wouldn’t be a point in trying to woo you.”  
Ryan’s brows raised, and he laughed. “You’re trying to woo me of all people.”  
“Yes!” Chad exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air for emphasis.  
Ryan snickered at that, then shook his head. “I’m wooed, trust me. That kiss sealed the deal.”  
With a happy noise, Chad took his hand, and proceeded to look around for his clothes. “Wanna switch clothes?”  
With an interested hum, Ryan tilted his head, then looked down at himself. “Why?”  
“I dunno, it just sounds fun.” He got in response. Ryan sighed. “Okay. But don’t get my hat dirty.”  
After giving him a dazzling grin, Chad nodded, and picked up Ryan’s newsboy hat. It didn’t exactly contain his curls, so he decided to pull his hair back. After glancing in the mirror, he looked at Ryan for approval. He got a double thumbs up and a smile, and that was good enough.  
They got their clothes on pretty quick, all things considered. Ryan had to keep looking at himself in the mirror once he was in Chad’s uniform- he looked pretty good. Dorky, but good.  
“You ready to head back?” Chad asked, making sure to try to straighten the hat on Ryan’s head. With a grunt, Ryan fixed it, then pulled on a loose curl of Chad’s to give him a small kiss.  
“Now I am. Oh, and Chad?”  
“Yeah?”  
“Thanks for showing me how you swing.”


End file.
